Ash was slowly starting to grasp the difference between A-Grade and S-Grade.
An S-Grade ability wasn't just stronger, it practically held your hand, transmitting every detail and explaining how to use it step by step.
But an A-Grade? That was like being handed the manual… with half the pages missing.
Take Pikachu's Ability, for example. Insight Eye told him it was Static. Great. But what did Static actually do? The ability itself gave him no clue.
Ash vaguely remembered Professor Oak once lecturing about Abilities, that every Pokémon had one, and mastering it was often the key to winning battles.
But there were so many Abilities, and even Pokémon of the same species could have different ones. It was complicated… so naturally, Ash had tuned out halfway through.
Now he regretted it. If he ever got the chance again, he swore he'd sit up straight and listen to every word of Oak's lectures!
Moves were another issue. His Insight Eye could only show him the attacks Pikachu had already used in battle. Two moves so far. Pikachu definitely knew more, but unless they'd been revealed in action, they didn't appear.
According to Breeder Ash, the full S-Grade version could instantly display every move a Pokémon might know or could potentially learn. Compared to that, his A-Grade Insight Eye felt like a demo version. The gap between A and S wasn't small, it was a canyon.
Still, there were good signs. Pikachu's strength was already "Normal Advanced." According to Champion Ash, most starter Pokémon given out by professors began at Novice, with only a lucky few at Normal.
Yet his Pikachu not only had all its ability value limits at A-Grade, but was already sitting in Normal Advanced. By all rights, this made him a first-rate starter.
"As expected of the partner I picked myself!" Ash puffed up proudly.
Pikachu tilted his head at him, ears flicking.
'What's he mumbling about this time? Possessed again?'
Above them, the heavy rain clouds finally broke apart, spilling out the warm glow of dusk. The fading sun washed the grasslands in gold, turning the field into a vast, shimmering sea.
The afterglow painted Misty's face as she stirred, frowning slightly before slowly opening her eyes.
"Hmm~ Is it morning already?" she yawned.
Ash laughed. "Morning? Not even close! Look, Misty, over there! A rainbow!"
He pointed to the horizon where a faint arc of colors stretched across the fiery sky.
Her drowsiness vanished instantly. "Where, where...ah! It's real! What a beautiful rainbow!"
The golden sunset and rainbow light blended together, tranquil and breathtaking. For a moment, everything felt calm and perfect.
But then Ash, ever sharp-eyed, squinted. Inside the rainbow's colors… was that a figure moving?
"Ash, what are you staring at?" Misty followed his gaze, blinking against the light.
"Misty, is there something in that rainbow. No, wait, the rainbow's moving!?"
Misty scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Rainbows don't move, they just..." Her words froze in her throat. "It's… moving?"
The shimmering arc of colors began to ripple like flowing paint across the sky, each streamer of light swirling as if guided by an unseen brush.
"That's… a Pokémon!" Ash gasped, his eyes widening. "A rainbow Pokémon!"
The figure emerged slowly from the golden dusk, its body radiant, its wings crimson as flame, crest and tail feathers gleaming gold. It looked less like a bird and more like the phoenix of legends, carrying the very light of the rainbow itself.
Ash's Insight Eye activated on its own, flooding him with information:
[Species: Ho-Oh]
[Gender: Female]
[Level: ??? — Beyond Champion]
[Ability: Regenerator]
[Classification: Rainbow Pokémon]
[Known Moves: ???]
[Overall Aptitude: All stats S-Rank]
Ash's mouth went dry. "H… Ho-Oh…" he whispered, barely believing the name that appeared in his vision.
According to the level system Breeder Ash had explained, the Divine Realm/ God tier stood above even Champion class, an unreachable peak in the world of Pokémon.
He hadn't gone into detail about how Divine Realm differed from Champion, but Ash didn't need anyone to spell it out. Just standing here, staring at Ho-Oh, was enough to make his knees weak.
Not only had Ho-Oh reached the very peak of that realm, but every single one of its abilities registered at S-rank, the absolute maximum.
The Insight Eye showed numbers and ranks, but Ash didn't need those. What really hit him was the Aura.
If Pikachu's Aura was like a small basin of water, then Ho-Oh's was an entire ocean, endless, overwhelming, suffocating. And the scariest part? Its presence made Ash realize that even with the Aura he had inherited from Aura Ash, he was still leagues below this rainbow-pokemon.
On top of that, there was something the Insight Eye couldn't even name, an unknown, sacred title attached to Ho-Oh, something far beyond his comprehension.
Ash clenched his fists.
'This… this has to be the kind of Legendary the group was talking about.'
"Ho-Oh? Is this real or a dream? It looks just like the Ho-Oh from the legends! I can't believe it, I actually saw Ho-Oh with my own eyes!" Misty gasped, covering her mouth with trembling hands. Her emerald eyes sparkled in awe.
The legend of Ho-Oh had long drifted through both Kanto and Johto. Paintings existed, old scrolls too, but sightings? Almost none.
The story went that long ago, Ho-Oh turned its back on humankind after being disappointed by their cruelty. Since then, centuries had passed without the Rainbow Pokémon ever showing itself.
And yet here it was, soaring above them in a blaze of crimson and gold, trailing a rainbow across the twilight sky.
Some even whispered that those blessed enough to see Ho-Oh would gain eternal happiness. No one had ever proven it, but that didn't stop dreamers, Trainers, and scholars alike from chasing its light, hoping for a glimpse.
And now Misty, who had only just run away from home to start her journey, had seen it. For her, this moment felt like a miracle.
"..."
Ash looked at the excited Misty, wanting to speak but hesitating. He actually really wanted to ask, what exactly is Ho-Oh..